The Israel Defense Forces on Monday again warned Gazans against approaching the security buffer zone along the Israel-Gaza border, a day after Israeli troops fired on dozens of Palestinians who had come within several hundred feet of the border fence.
“It is strictly forbidden to approach IDF forces wherever they are deployed in the Gaza Strip. Movement toward Israeli territory and approaching the buffer zone are not allowed,” tweeted IDF Arabic-language spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.
The statement was accompanied with a map of the army’s deployment within the Gaza Strip.
The IDF has established an approximately 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) perimeter along the Gaza border, in accordance with the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement.
Adraee reiterated on Monday that civilians were now allowed to return on foot to northern Gaza via Salah al-Din Street and Al-Rashid Street (the coastal road). He warned however that “the movement of armed individuals or the transportation of weapons through these routes to northern Gaza is strictly prohibited and will be considered a violation of the [Israel-Hamas ceasefire] agreement.”
According to the terms of the agreement, travel to the north by vehicle was permitted only through a checkpoint via “the Salah al-Din axis,” he stated.
During Sunday’s incident, which was captured on video, a group of Palestinians encroached well into the buffer zone in the area of Kibbutz Nahal Oz, located across from Gaza City.
Israeli forces fired warning shots after identifying “suspicious individuals” moving just a few hundred meters from their position, firing at and hitting several when the individuals failed to disperse, according to the IDF.
“The IDF is determined to continue protecting residents and will act against any violation while adhering to the terms of the agreement. The IDF reiterates its call to Gaza residents to follow its instructions and not approach the deployed forces in the area,” the military said following the incident.
Palestinians have been approaching IDF troops or prohibited routes on a daily basis, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News. Hamas is “testing boundaries,” according to the report.
“This is what real security for the Gaza [Envelope] residents looks like? This is what a perimeter meant to separate Israel from these death-bound murderers looks like? This is what abandonment looks like,” an Israeli resident living near the Gaza border was quoted as saying by Ynet.
Sunday’s shooting was just one of several similar recent incidents. On Saturday, Israeli security forces fired on a suspicious individual who had approached their position and failed to heed warning shots. The military did not clarify whether the person was hit.
The same day, the Israel Air Force fired in the direction of “suspicious vehicles that were advancing northward from the central Gaza Strip along a non-approved route,” without passing through an agreed-upon inspection point.
The IDF on Sunday completed its redeployment from the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza to outposts along the perimeter of the Strip as specified by the terms of the ceasefire, the first phase of which is set to expire on March 1.